פב

And abundant peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu — with great love and precious affection. Be strong and let your hearts be courageous — all who hope in Hashem. Your eyes which see that all that a person wants he can accomplish — as you have already seen and understood much — and through this you will strengthen yourselves all your days to desire and yearn always to Hashem Yisborach and to true men of truth — until you merit to break all the remaining obstacles — until you merit to behold the pleasantness of Hashem [לַחֲזוֹת בְּנֹעַם ה' — Tehillim 27:4: "one thing I asked of Hashem — to dwell in the house of Hashem all the days of my life — to behold the pleasantness of Hashem and to visit in His sanctuary." The ultimate aspiration: to behold the pleasantness of Hashem Himself — cited here as the good end to which all the obstacles and struggle are leading] and so forth. And then you will know what all this commotion was about — what they were trying to prevent you from, G-d forbid — then our mouths will be filled with laughter [אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ — Tehillim 126:2: "then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with joyous song — then they said among the nations: Hashem has done great things with these." The eschatological laughter of the return from exile — when the community finally understands what the opposition sought to prevent] and so forth — and our enemies shall see and be ashamed — with the help of Hashem Yisborach.

My beloved son, my dear one — may his light shine. And to all our anshei sh'lomaynu — peace be with you, do not fear, for Hashem is with you.

And behold — I am ready to depart immediately for Uman in peace — may Hashem Yisborach help us to complete the holy building speedily. And behold — your letter I received together with the sum of four new rubles — and you have greatly revived my soul with this [מְאֹד הֶחֱיִיתֶם נַפְשִׁי — the verb *hecheyitem nafshi* — you gave life to my soul — echoes the language of Yosef's brothers returning to their father in B'reishis 45:27: "when he saw the wagons that Yosef had sent... the spirit of their father Yaakov was revived (*watchi ruach Yaakov avivem*)." The four rubles revived Reb Nussun as the sight of the wagons revived Yaakov] — for the urgent need now is impossible to estimate or assess. May Hashem repay your deed and so forth — and may you merit that there will be for you a great share in the holy and wondrous building in which he, of blessed memory, is engaged — for already some time the houses multiply through many neighbours without number [שֶׁיִּתְרַבּוּ הַבָּתִּים עַל יְדֵי שְׁכֵנִים רַבִּים עַד אֵין מִסְפָּר — this is an allusion to one of the kabbalistic dimensions of the building project: the Rebbe's teaching that the holy gathering place in Uman would draw to it, through spiritual affinity, an ever-increasing number of souls — *shchenim*, neighbours in the spiritual sense — those who dwell near in the world of souls] and so forth — until it brings up delights before Him, Yisborach, such as have never arisen since the days of the world [עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁלֹּא עָלוּ מִימוֹת עוֹלָם — the word sha'ashu'im — delights, pleasures — draws on Mishlai 8:30-31 where Wisdom speaks: "I was beside Him as a craftsman, and I was His daily delight ( sha'ashu'im )." The building of the holy structure at the Rebbe's resting place is framed as bringing unprecedented divine delight — *sha'ashu'im* that have not arisen since the creation of the world] . And behold — I am very pressed now as you will understand from yourself. But from my love for you I compelled Rabbi Chaim Nachum — may his light shine — until he gave me a copy of the entire Torah that we spoke at the holy festival just passed and on Shabbos Kodesh before it [הַעְתָּקַת כָּל הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁדִּבַּרְנוּ בֶּחָג הַקָּדוֹשׁ הֶעָבַר וּבְשַׁבַּת קֹדֶשׁ שֶׁלְּפָנָיו — the Shavuos teachings that Reb Nussun delivered at the gathering, which were transcribed by Rabbi Chaim Nachum. These are the teachings that had been promised in Letters 75 and 76 when Shavuos was announced as the gathering point. They have now been delivered and recorded] . May their eyes see and their hearts rejoice. And they are three and a half bogin [בּוֹגִין — large paper sheets used for manuscripts, written on both sides — a unit of handwritten text indicating substantial content: three and a half double-sided sheets worth of Torah teaching] written on both sides. And if they wish they may copy it immediately and return it to me — if Hashem wills — when I come home in peace. And from the greatness of the urgency it is impossible to extend at all.

The words of your father — who desires your welfare and your eternal success. Nussun of Breslov.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]